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Biohazard – The Living Desert

The world of Ketarhr is a lush realm, covered mostly with forests and the occasional mountain. The animal life is active and quick, with most species capable of either flight or running faster than any man on Earth. Magic here is rare, as few have reason to seek it due to widespread Psionic ability. Almost all thinking species and even some wild animals have some psychic ability, though the abilities of the thinking species are much more advanced.

However, the forests have recently begun to recede, starting at the edges of the known world. The Psions, and even the rare wizards have yet to find a reason for this. It started slowly, at first, but in some places it has accelerated so much that there are forests where the ground is replaced with sand, causing trees to eventually topple over. Psions have investigated the largest desert, and have detected a malevolent presence that seems to permeate the very sand itself. They eventually came to the conclusion that the desert itself is either being driven by a fell power, or that it is a creature never encountered before.

Many have gone to the desert to try to find the source, and exploration parties have gone farther than they ever have before. However, they have yet to find a source that holds under investigation. What they did find, however, is that their food and water seemed to perish much faster in the desert than it normally would. Even worse, they were exposed to diseases that were never encountered by the doctors of that time. Some parties went into the desert and never seemed to come back.

However, there were parties that never went into the desert, but still came out. The Servants of the Sand eventually began cropping up, and, at first, the inhabitants of Ketarhr were reluctant to interact with them, often to the point of waging war upon them.

Psionics:
Most people will have some psionic ability, and usually either specialize in it or use it to complement physical abilities. However, only Aerdians or Ketonn Hraal, and the occasional Mauforaum have enough psionic talent to completely specialize in it.

The main parts of it are psychokinesis, telepathy, clairsentience and psychometabolism. An example of psychokinesis is moving an object or even projecting energy. Telepathy is famous for allowing one to read thoughts or even control the minds of others, sometimes to the extent of stopping their heart. Clairsentience allows one to look into the past, future, or even elsewhere in the present, though this is rare among the thinking species, and is, with a few exceptions, restricted to animals. Psychometabolism is rarer still, commonly exhibited in the Aerdians. They can alter their own physiology, even suddenly becoming stronger or faster.

Teleportation is the absolute rarest ability, and the only ones capable of using it is a handful of Ketonn Hraal.

Magic:
Magic is different from Psionics in that power is channeled from a source other than the magician. Instead, they draw power from an unknown source, where psions draw their power from themselves. This makes it much less exhausting, although few wizards have significant ability in this. However, magic has been shown to be more powerful than psionics, and skilled wizards can adapt it to many purposes. However, it seems to be much more difficult to manipulate or attain than psychic ability, and so there are only a thousand or so significant wizards in existence, where there are millions of notable Psions.

Magic can do just about anything psionics can, but is not separated into different schools. It normally requires an object significant to the user to work, such as a teddy bear from childhood, or the first piece of art they ever crafted. More often than not, it is a treasure from childhood.

Races:
Aerdian: The Aerdians are descendants of the Ketonn Hraal known as Aerdiu, who lived 2,070 years ago. They are the youngest race in the realm, but show the greatest talent in altering or directing one's body merely by thinking. It is believed that Aerdiu altered his own physiology and founded a new race.

They appear like the Ketonn Hraal, though they have much finer fur on their body, nearly as invisible as a human's body hair. They also have a more compact, muscular build.


Ketonn Hraal: The Ketonn Hraal are the oldest race in Ketarhr, and were the ones who named the realm. They show a general talent in all psychic abilities, and produce the highest number of psions. However, they are the least populous race, and have only recently resurfaced in mainstream Ketarhr.

The Ketonn Hraal are covered in a fine coat of fur mottled with rosettes like a jaguar, and are camouflaged in the forest shadows. Their posture is very human-like, though they are slightly taller and more slender. They also have sharper teeth, and have only three fingers and a thumb on each hand.


Mauforaum: The Mauforaum are one of the strangest races in Ketarhr. Their magical talent is second only to the humans, but they still produce more Psions than they do. Many speculate that they originated from another place entirely, though no Mauforaum seems to know their own origins; only that they suddenly appeared around 2,000 years ago.

They are humanoid in appearance, with much darker skin than a human, almost black. They have a pair of magnificent, though still dark-colored, wings on their back, and are the lightest thinking species in Ketarhr. They are a bit more hunched over than humans, and have tails that commonly reach 1.5ft in length. They are capable of short flights. They have teeth that are more adapted to a vegetarian lifestyle, and most of them do not eat meat.


Human: Humans are the most common species in Ketarhr, and as such, the near-universal language of the realm is based on their native language. They, out of all the races, show the least amount of psychic ability, so most normally only have minor psychokinesis or limited telepathy. However, they show the greatest talent for magic, and are credited with its discovery.


Ratoul'An: These creatures are the only non-humanoid thinking creatures in all of Ketarhr. They have a talent for minor clairvoyance, just like most animals in the realm. However, beyond this, they do not have impressive psychic abilities. However, they are the physically strongest thinking race, thanks to their large, muscular build.

The Ratoul'An are quadrupeds, somewhat resembling an ox. However, they have larger, stronger legs, and have much longer fur. They also lack horns, and have a more subtle nose, indicated only by two slits in the middle of their face. They have bright green eyes with cat-like pupils. Their front arms are particularly muscled, and end in 5 fingers, with a thumb on either side. Their strong, thick hind legs end in strong digitigrade feet instead of hooves. They can rear up and move on two legs for several minutes before having to rest, though most of them prop themselves against one elbow and manipulate objects with their now-free hand.


Servant of the Sand: A Servant is nearly any race that wandered through the Living Desert for too long, and eventually succumbed to its influence. They didn't have to be a thinking creature before, but they always become one after their transformation is complete. A Servant of the Sand is not completely controlled by what changed them, however. They can draw upon their creator's power to alter the environment around them to attack foes or to defend, but few are strong enough to permanently change their surroundings. Some have been accepted into society, and, through research, it has been discovered that the more they use these new powers, the further their transformation into demonic creatures progresses.

Servants of the Sand can resemble any race in Ketarhr, but seem to have sand caught in their fur, if they have any, and appear slightly bloated, with red skin and eyes. Their breath is always foul. As they use their powers, they become covered in more and more sand, and their skin and eye tone deepens, until their eyes are blood red and their skin a dark crimson. Their bodies become more and more warped until they become hideous mockeries of their former selves. They become more and more aggressive, and eventually become like maddened animals.

Currency: In Ketarhr, bronze, silver gold and platinum are the forms of currency. 1 bronze is about 5 cents, 1 silver is about 1 dollar, 1 gold is 20 dollars, and 1 platinum is 400 dollars. Each coin is about 20x the value of the last.

Desert Maul: A giant lizard that was once a green creature called an iguana, now it hovels into holes, camouflaged in the desert, awaiting anyone who gets near him.

Hole Men: Named for the flesh-deep holes in their heads, these poor men (and women) were bitten by a mosquito that nested in the desert, transforming the toxic fumes into a spreadable virus that can be infected through human blood. However, one bite does not travel far, as these are slow zombies, and are easily taken down with a shot to the spin or skull

Sand Squid: Lives deep beneath the sand, able to bring many tentacles out to the surface to grab onto prey.

Morse: A little bigger than a normal-sized horse. Relative to the forest. These are usually cultivated for their domestic riding abilities.

Blood Wolf: Much bigger and smarter than normal wolves. These packs are highly dangerous to forest travelers. Their psionic potential is more than humans, but not quite as much as Mauforaums.

White Panther: A solid white panther that is able to change the color of its fur to blend in with its surroundings almost perfectly. It is very vicious when threatened, but is able to communicate with psionic animals more often than not

Desert Imp: No one knows where they came from. But these small bipeds are troublesome to travelers, and sometimes attack passing people. Able to gain magic in the way of Shaman that are usually leaders of their tribes.

Firewing: A glorious red, blue and green creature with two pairs of wings and one pair of legs, each ending in three grasping appendages. They have elongated mouths filled with sharp teeth, and are known to spit burning chemicals. They are surprisingly timid, and only spray chemicals when hunting or when defending themselves.

A Slavering Mauler is a Hole Man who is exposed to the influence of the Living Desert for a very long time. It becomes considerably larger and far more monstrous, and begins drooling incessantly. Its touch drains energy from the living, and it is capable of swallowing men whole. When slain, its body dissipates into a cloud of bizarre mist, and it will reform within 24 hours if not exorcised.

Name:
Race:
Personality:
Description:

Weapons:
Archetype:
Fighting Style:
Spells/Psychic abilities:

Homeland:
History:


Archetype:
The three most common archetypes are Psions; people specializing in Psychic ability), PsyLord; a person using his psychic ability to supplement physical might and Wizard; a magic user, usually with some psychic ability.

Another archetype is Soldier; a rare person who has little or no psychic ability or even magic ability, and usually relies on physical force alone and Arcane Knight; a person using magic to supplement physical might, usually with little or no psychic ability. Rarer still is the Channeler, someone who balances both psychic and magical ability.

Very few can balance magical, psychic and physical ability and remain effective in all three. Those who attempt this are called Madcaps.

Fighting Style: PsyLords and Arcane Knights (as well as Madcaps) use their magical or psychic abilities to enhance or supplement their physical ability. They often use psychokinesis, telepathy, pyrokinesis (or the manipulation of any element or “energy”), and sometimes even Psychometabolism, Clairvoyance or teleportation to great effect (though the latter three are uncommon, except psychometabolism, which is often used by Aerdians). Describe what your character uses.

Spells/Psychic abilities: Psychic abilities are outlined above, and exact techniques are up to the player, as are spells. PM spells or psychic powers to me or Rinji_Rai for approval before submitting your character. For PsyLords, Arcane Knights and Madcaps, remember that anything not involving a physical strike should be placed here instead of described in your fighting style.

For spells, mention what it does and how difficult it is to cast. The cost is usually irrelevant, as you are merely channeling power from elsewhere. Power represents both the power of the spell/ability as well as the difficulty or strain. Special exceptions can be made, but they must be mentioned in the description. Do not just make high-powered abilities for low difficulty/strain!


Homeland: Your character has to be from somewhere. If you wish, you may make your own homeland and PM it to me or Rinji_Rai before submitting your character. Some preexisting Homelands include:

Caertasp: This mostly Ketonn Hraal country is well respected in Ketarhr. They produce the largest number of PsyLords out of any known country, and are known for their militaristic society. Regardless of this, they have produced beautiful works of art beyond their famous sparring matches.

Caertasp is ruled by a figurehead elected by the people, the Overseer. This Overseer usually represents Caertasp in important meetings, and has the authority to put up laws for voting amongst the people. The military is led by the Overseer and by a council selected by him and elected by the people. If the Overseer is assassinated or suddenly dies, the head of this Council shall take his place and appoint a new Council Head.

It is within the power of the Council or even a citizen to suggest new laws to the Overseer.

The people of Caertasp are normally well-educated, if somewhat bloodthirsty. Their honesty and intelligence allow the Overseer system to function well enough to support their country.

More than 50% of Caertaspians are involved in the military.


Note: The leader of a Homeland would be significantly more difficult, and perhaps less fun, to play, as you would mostly have to stay in that country and keep it running. Also, for simplicity's sake, it is to be assumed that most Homelands are on good terms with each other.

Name: Rain
Race: Mauforaum
Personality: Asks questions a lot, but usually stops when asked to. He is naturally curious and sometimes open to other people about himself. He knows and relates more to humans than his own race because he left his birth place at quite a young age.
Description: A very solid brown tint of color on his skin, and his hair is solid black, short and not parted. He is one of the few in his race to stand up almost straight only slouching slightly. He is six foot one and has a small frame of build.

Weapons: N/A
Archetype: Wizard
Fighting Style: Magic
Spells/Psychic abilities:

Psychokinesis
Type: Supplementary (Psychic)
Power: High
Given his racial heritage, Rain is able to control matter with the use of his mind. But this puts a great strain on him and he would rather not do it if at all possible.

The Void
Type: Defense (Celestial)
Power: Low
Creates a small, 12 inch diameter hole that lets attacks pass through it as long as they fit and it is open in time. He is able to move the hole as if it were in free space.

Celestial Light
Type: Supplementary (Celestial)
Power: Low
Creates a light on the tip of his finger that acts as a torch in very dark places. Also can shine bright enough to hurt nocturnal eyes such as vampires or light-sensitive demons.

Doom Trap
Type: Attack (Demonic)
Power: Low
Creates a Pentagram that is barely seeable to the naked eye. When an unknown foot print steps on it, it will create a limited shield around them and give them a sudden first degree burn if they try to walk out. If they apply too much bare-handed pressure to it, it could go to second degree.

Demon Breath
Type: Attack (Demonic)
Power: Medium
A fire breath attack that creates a two foot wide blast of fire from his mouth.

Homeland: Deinoforaum
History: Was born in a civilized world of his own kind, but his parents got into terrible trouble with some of the wrong people, and were forced to flee their homeland, making their way to the larger city of Kleirmoore. That is where they raised young Rain. Though he knew a few of his own race, he met new ones, but mostly humans. He became use to humans, and asked many questions, wondering about their differences.
It wasn’t until he met Samuel that he began to see the art of magic and its wonders. Though he was slightly efficient with psychic abilities, he delved deeper into the world of the demonic and the astral lights. Over time he grew great skill with these abilities and was able to start teaching himself. Soon, Kleirmoore began to become depleted of life because of the uprising of the corrupted men from the deserts. He rushed home one day to find his parents had vanished. He set out to find them, or at least catch word of their fate.

Rain stood outside of his tent. The sands around him blew hard in the wind. He was just out of range of the corruption the desert caused in living organisms, and he had a powerful bug repellent on that he washed into his hair, mixed with his shampoo. The site was an old military campsite. There were old beer cans, old beer, bullet casings and the occasional dud bullet. The mess tent had no food so he had to grow his own and eat whatever grew around him.
He looked inside the screen that covered his tent, and scooped water out of the barrel that stood beside his door. He poured the water over his head, and shook the excess off. It was so hot outside of the desert. The sun was clearly up in the sky. He hadn't been attacked for three days now, a few days before there were a pack of Hole Men... but they were easily dealt with. He wondered what really awaited him from that terrible place. And he wondered if he'd ever get the chance to go in there and get a good look around.

Rain hardly seemed surprised to see the presence of another. He simply dipped the ladle back into the water and splashed his face with it.
"Welp, when I got here all of the food in the mess tent was spoiled completely dry, there weren't even flies on it. The beer is dated in a date that we don't even use anymore. There were old old blood marks all over some of the tents, I tore the really bad ones down and burned them at night. What's left are the patched up and cleaned up ones. Whatever supplies they once had is long gone and spoiled completely rotten. I only have my crops and some of my own special items that I use to survive these terrains.
"You're a... Ketonn Hraal right?" He said, unable to hold back the question.

"Parents called me Rain." He said. He left the ladle hanging in the barrel, and wiped off his face with a towel. "I've been staying at this abandoned military outpost to try and see if I could study the desert and see where some of these missing people are turning up." He said, stretching his arms out and wings opposite each other. "I was just about to go back into the desert and try to find any clues. A map says they put an old graveyard about ten miles inside the desert. Thought I might go over there and check it out."

Rain looked at him strangely, wondering why this guy was so paranoid about going into the desert. He knew he could take care of himself, and if he had some extra help they could make it out of there with no sweat, as long as they didn't run into the big guys. "Well I can stand the desert. My skin is properly pigmented for the job, and as a precaution I never stay past night fall nor do I ever fall asleep in that damn place. It's strictly day time, no drugs, aspirin or medicine that could make me drowsy. Now, I'm going in there... with or without you." He gave a smile.

He smiled, admiring this guy's reluctant, yet determined drive. He wrapped a moist towel around his waist and started to walk down the path that had not been walked by a living being for over a hundred years before Rain set foot on it. They headed into the desert, over many dunes, and soon Rain was lending his new companion his towel to wipe his head with. He drank water in very small portions and hoped that Sii brought enough for himself, because he liked to ration his water as much as possible. He did not require a great amount, but there was always that chance of ending up in a fight and losing your way... if you lose your direction then it could mean you would be stuck in the desert for days... maybe more.
Soon they neared the graveyard, it was rather large for such a desolate place. There was no undertaker, but there was no weeds that grew on the sand, only a cactus outside of the short stone wall that surrounded it. There was a hip-tall black bar gate at the front of it.
Rain looked serious for a moment, reading the names on the tomb stones and wood boards made into crosses.

Rain stood in front of the monster, measuring him up quickly and clapping his hands together. Then he entwined his fingers "Danara! Danara!! DANARA!!!!" He shouted and slapped his hands down on the ground creating an alchemy circle, stepping backward and watching as the monster headed straight for his trap that could quickly begin to burn its skin. If that didn't work, he readied his next attack.

Rain kept his hands grabbed together and took a deep, deep breath. "DANARAAAA--" Fire escaped his mouth as he performed his Demon's breath spell that made fire soar straight for the walking dead man. He tried to do enough damage to the creature, knowing he could handle his attacks in his own way so that he didn't get hurt. Sure they didn't always work but he was good at it.